


We're all Part of a Chemical Equation

by fierda



Series: The Chemical Series [1]
Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance, Supernatural RPF
Genre: Discrimination, Future Fic, M/M, Minor Character Death, Science Fiction, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-01
Updated: 2012-11-13
Packaged: 2017-11-17 13:05:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/551870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fierda/pseuds/fierda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the year 2112.</p><p>Powers with multiple Animas have been discriminated against for years... until Professor Gerard Way, an Anima expert, made a breakthrough in his research three years after the War. The Anima Records were destroyed as a result.</p><p>Discrimination is outlawed, but the political situation is fragile. Powers with multiple Animas are being attacked, and 33-year-old Professor Gerard Way is forced to resort to extreme measures to protect his research and prevent the Anima Records from being reestablished again.</p><p>In the meantime, 23-year-old Frank Iero is looking for a supervisor to do his Honors Year Project... and Professor Gerard Way is about to meet his most talented and promising student ever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Frank

*

**_Amare et sapere vix deo conceditur_ **  
_Even a god finds it hard to love and be wise at the same time_

  _*_

__

_University_ _of_ _Mutatio_ _(UoM),_ _King Phillips’s Auditorium, Department of Immunology, Toronto_

_Monday, August 15 th, Year 2112_

“About a hundred years ago, our world was devastated by the Death Plague, which was propagated by the Cropiex Virus. Cropiex was first discovered in a little village in Indonesia and it began as a humble and innocent virus, establishing itself in the individual as a minor infection of the lungs.”

Twenty-two year old Frank Iero paused in the middle of his presentation, turned towards the people sitting in the auditorium and smiled. His Anima, Mattie, gave a quiet chirp of encouragement from his perch on Frank’s shoulders as he spoke again.

“The sick individual developed a high fever, severe cough and other flu-like symptoms. The virus was transmitted via air, through the miniature droplets released from the lungs of the infected individual during an innocuous cough or sneeze.”

Frank was in the process of giving a twenty minute presentation for his final year project to the rest of the Immunology department. It was just an outline of his project and what he was planning to do for the year ahead. It was a requirement for students (both undergraduate and graduate students) at the beginning of the semester, so that the professors and students of the department could share their expertise with the presenter and give advice on possible work that the individual working on the project could do. 

_Not too bad._

The room was three-quarters filled and considering that he was only an Honors-Year student, the turn-out rate for the presentation of his project was really quite good. However, considering the theme of his project, he wasn’t too surprised. His main supervisor, Dr. Genevieve Potter, who was seated right in the front of the room, beamed encouragingly at him. Frank grinned back at her.

A few rows back, his co-supervisor, Professor Gerard Way, dressed in a black blazer over a simple white button up shirt, black tie, and faded jeans, was sitting languidly in one of the soft, comfortable seats of the auditorium. Frank was a little startled at his presence. Sure, his project was a collaboration between the two labs belonging to Dr. Genevieve Potter and Professor Gerard Way, but the Professor was a busy and important man, and Frank really hadn’t expected him to turn up.

Professor Way smiled at him, and Frank nodded politely back, but not before a small flush rose up his neck.

“Nobody knew of its devastation back then. That it was more than just a normal flu virus.” He continued. “Gradually the virus began to spread in Indonesia. Thousands of people were infected, and the scientific community in Indonesia began to put in efforts to establishing a cure. As more and more people in the country began to be infected, other countries such as India, China and Japan began to report similar flu-like symptoms caused by this virus. The United States, Europe and the rest of the world were not spared. As the virus began to spread at increasing rates, people who were infected with the virus began to develop more severe symptoms. The virus was reported to attack the nervous system of the individual, causing people to die in extreme pain. Patients were found in grotesque positions, muscles frozen in death. Soon, there were reports of the virus having the ability to attack the immune system of the individual as well. Similar to AIDS, patients became more susceptible to diseases which were normally easier to cure.”

The screen in the front of the room showed a colored, non-moving picture of a patient lying on a hospital bed in the throes of agony as his nerves were slowly being destroyed by the virus. His eyes were pinched shut and his mouth curled into a silent scream. Next to it, there was an image of a patient suffering from Cropiex-associated Kaposi’s sarcoma. On his back were reddish, papular wart-like lesions.  

Frank could tell that he had now captured the rapt attention of everyone in the room. Those who had been tapping away rudely at their Workstations at the beginning of his presentation were now giving him their full attention.

Frank tapped the silver stud earring in his right ear absent-mindedly. There was a soft whirl of noise as the miniscule black Fitch embedded in his earring projected the next slide of his presentation on the screen in front of the room.

“Then the devastating news came: Cropiex appeared to have mutated, and was able to infect animals as well. Cattle were reported to be experiencing the same flu-like symptoms, plus muscle spasms and seizures that gradually led to the death of the animals. Individuals who ate the meat of infected animals experienced severe neurological symptoms such as myeloencephalitis and brainstem encephalitis which sometimes led to pulmonary edema.”

“The next blow came when migratory birds began to appear exhibiting the same symptoms – the virus had yet again found another transmission route.”

Frank tapped the Fitch again.

 “There was world-wide panic as countries tried to curb the spread of Cropiex. Indonesia was the first among many countries to close down its seaport and airport in order to try to contain the disease. The United States, Japan and Europe focused all their research efforts on the virus in a bid to find a possible cure or vaccine. Cattle were slaughtered and killed. Birds were exterminated. Many countries were reported to burn their dead in mass burials to try to curb the spread of the virus. Yet, more and more people became infected. The virus appeared to mutate faster and faster as it spread, causing more fatal and lethal symptoms. Medical centers were set up to try to care for patients with what medicine we had back then, despite the fact that we were only treating the symptoms of the disease, and delaying the imminent death of the individual. Thousands of people were dying every second. Governments collapsed. Countries began to fall. Within a year, three-quarters of the world’s population had been wiped out and we were no closer to a cure.”

“There were only 100 individuals left at the end of the Death plague. These individuals realized that they had not been left untouched by the plague – the virus had not killed them, but had left them with what we know now as Powers instead. Soon, they realized that each individual was blessed with one or more Animas, which were used as conduits through which they could channel their raw Powers. With their new Powers, these 100 individuals started the task of rebuilding our world again.”

“Then one day, one curious scientist, Jacob Fullerton, investigated his own genome, and realized that his had been rewritten. Shocked, he called upon the rest of the 99 individuals to contribute their DNA for research and he made a massive discovery. All hundred of them had been changed. Their genomes had been altered, and they no longer had the usual 46 chromosomes in each of their somatic cells. Each individual now had 50 chromosomes in each somatic cell. ”

“With that short introduction, I’ll like to move on to the objectives of my project… Establishing a SN281 infectious mouse model for the Cropiex Virus.”

Frank couldn’t stop the full blown grin that stretched across his face at the small uproar in the auditorium as the title flashed across the screen. Heads swiveled around to look at Professor Way. Frank could hear soft mutters of “So it’s true! Professor Way has accepted an Honors-Year student into his laboratory!” and other comments like “Oh my God, I’m so envious.” Genevieve looked as though she was about to start bouncing off the walls with excitement at any moment. Professor Way merely looked amused as he tapped the side of his black-rimmed glasses with a finger. He exchanged a significant look with Frank that sent an involuntary shudder up Frank’s spine.

As Frank continued to talk about his project, the audience appeared to be enraptured by his research topic. There was a level of excitement in the air, and Frank received a lot of positive responses and suggestions for what he could do to further improve his experimental set-ups.

“That was great, Frank. You did well!” Genevieve bounded up towards him when his presentation ended, exclaiming excitedly.

“Thank you Genevieve; it was all thanks to your help!” Frank’s face crinkled into a smile. His supervisor’s enthusiasm was really infectious. He knew that he was going to enjoy his time under her.

“Genevieve is right, Frank. That was a good presentation.” Frank heard a dark voice from behind him that melted his bones. He turned around to see Professor Way smiling encouragingly at him.

“Thank you for giving me a chance to do this project too, Professor Way.” Frank said shyly.

Professor Way grinned and nodded, before turning towards Genevieve.

“Shall we?” Professor Way indicated his front with a hand in a gentleman-like manner.

Genevieve nodded, and together, they turned to walk out of the auditorium. Genevieve began to talk excitedly about Frank’s project, and Professor Way was giving him more suggestions for his project. As he listened to his two supervisors, Frank’s mind suddenly drifted back to three months ago when he had first began looking for a supervisor for his final year project…

*

_Monday, May 16 th, 2112_

Frank made his way towards the Immunology Building. He was on his way to his first meeting with his potential supervisor for his final year project. Every student in UoM had to approach a supervisor to take them on for a research project for a year. After much consideration, he had decided to contact Dr. Genevieve Potter and she had agreed to meet him.

Although Frank’s primary interest was in Animas, he knew that the only Professor in UoM whose main research interest was in Animas was Professor Gerard Way. Professor Gerard Way was a young, gorgeous looking Professor who was well-known and famous for his work in Animas in the scientific field. He was easily the most prominent researcher in Anima research. He was the perfect potential supervisor… with one major flaw. Professor Way was a member of the Seniorum Concilium. It was far too dangerous for Frank, and if he did indeed join Professor Way’s lab, he would be treading a thin and perilous line. In addition, he had heard that Professor Way only accepted graduate students in his lab, so Frank had given up on the idea quickly.

In the end, Frank decided to turn to Dr. Genevieve Potter instead. Dr. Genevieve Potter’s main research interest was in the Jupiter virus, a nasty virus that attacked the nervous system of infected children. Her research was focused on the use of the SN281 mouse as a model to develop potential drugs or vaccines against the virus. 

 _“Mattie, I need you to be good today, alright? This is important to me.”_ Frank thought to his Anima.

Mattie let out a shrill whistle, nudging Frank sharply with his coned beak.

_“Okay, Master. I’ll be good. You’ll be fine, don’t worry.”_

Frank entered the building through the sliding glass doors. There was a soft beep as the security cameras at the door swiveled around to register his entrance into the building. Frank stepped up to the portal in the middle of the lobby. The portal comprised of a white rectangular stone carved out of marble. Words began to form in mid-air, hovering over the portal.

_Frank Iero, Year 4, Life Science Student._

Frank answered.

“Yes.”

The words vanished and a new sentence formed again.

_Objective?_

“I’m here to visit Dr. Genevieve Potter, to talk about doing a potential final year project under her.”

The marble shuddered.

_Access granted to Level 3. Please place your hand on the marble._

After ensuring that Mattie was perched safely on his shoulders, Frank reached out to touch the marble.  

A blink of an eye later, Frank found himself on the third level of the building. He stepped away from the portal, glancing around. There were two corridors leading away from the portal, and Frank was thrown momentarily, unsure as to which direction to head towards.

“Mattie, would you mind going down that direction to take a look?” Mattie whistled in affirmation as he shot down one of the corridors. Frank turned towards the other direction, scratching his head absent-mindedly as he pondered the lack of directional signs at the lobby. He glanced around as he walked down the corridor, feeling awkward, and very much like an intruder. Posters of students’ projects were lined along the cream-colored walls, and he felt a great desire to peruse some of them. Glancing at his watch, he realized that he was about to be late. The end of the corridor opened into another two directions. He quickened his steps as he dashed around the corner to see…

_Professor Gerard Way._

Frank didn’t just _see_ Professor Way though. He literally bumped into Professor Way, almost knocking down the poor man.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Frank was horrified. Professor Way stumbled, his eyes and mouth open in adorable confusion as the papers in his hands flew out of his grip. Professor Way bent down to pick up the papers and Frank also reached down to help him, stacking the scattered papers up and returning them to Professor Way.  

“It’s okay,” Professor Way smiled vaguely as he looked through the papers that Frank had returned him, rearranging them, before he looked down with a kind smile at Frank. “You really shouldn’t be running around corners though, you could kill someone.” He joked.

Frank grinned at that. This was the first time that Frank talked to Professor Way, and he had always only seen Professor Way from afar. He definitely looked more gorgeous up close. Frank blushed hotly as Professor Way adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and peered down at him, his hazel eyes alight with amusement.

There was a sharp whistle of air as Mattie zoomed down the corridor. Frank instinctively raised his hand slightly as Mattie flew to land on his shoulders.

He chirped urgently.

_“The offices are down the other corridor!”_

“Thank you, Mattie,” Frank said to the red bird. He looked up at Professor Way, who looked intrigued by the appearance of Frank’s Anima.

“Ah, I’m sorry for knocking into you, Professor. I have to go now, I’m about to be late for a meeting with Dr. Genevieve Potter! Bye, Sir!” Frank quickly turned to walk down the other corridor, heading towards the offices and leaving behind a bemused Professor Way.

*

A neon-pink memo fluttered straight into Frank’s face the moment he opened the door to Dr. Genevieve Potter’s office.

Mattie chirped agitatedly as he snapped angrily at the memo. It danced out of his reach teasingly.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” A hand grabbed the memo out of the air before Mattie could tear it into shreds. Dr. Genevieve Potter peered down at Frank as she examined his face for paper-cuts. “Are you alright? Those blasted flying memos are driving me crazy.”

Frank shook his head, his lips quirking into a smile. Dr. Genevieve Potter was a middle-aged, tall and imposing woman. She had long, blonde hair that fell to her shoulders, and thin, porcelain-like lips. Her eyes were a vivid emerald green and they were dark in concern as she examined his face closely.  

“I’m sorry, there usually aren’t this many memos flying about.” She sighed. “Today’s a busy day for me.”

Frank laughed. “It’s okay, Professor. Are you that busy? Maybe we should reschedule…”

“No, no, today is fine.” Dr. Potter waved impatiently at the air as a couple of neon blue and green memos dive-bombed into her long hair. “Blasted things!” She cursed and she raised her palms and flicked a wave of Power at them. She thumbed an emerald brooch on her dress absent-mindedly as the memos flying around her room finally settled into a neat pile on her table.

“So Dr. Potter’s Anima is a brooch,” Frank noted to himself.

“Take a sit.” Dr. Potter waved at one of the Chameleon sofas in the room. Frank sat down, shifting his weight as the Chameleon sofa expanded and changed its form to accommodate his body shape for greater comfort.

“I love these sofas, they’re so comfortable.” Dr. Potter commented as she sat down in another Chameleon sofa opposite Frank’s. 

Frank took a moment to look around the office. The walls were paneled with wood, and the pale yellow lightning was bright, yet comfortable at the same time. There was an expandable bookshelf in the corner of the room that could be tapped to reveal more compartments with more books. The current shelf that Dr. Potter was using contained large volumes of textbooks and what looked like teaching material. Scientific posters composing of Dr. Potter’s work hung on the walls beside the bookshelf. A large table sat in the middle of the room, currently housing the neon-coloured memos. There was a small glass screen in the middle of the table, where Dr. Potter’s Workstation was. The black sofas that they were sitting on were separate by a small coffee table.

“You have a lovely office, Dr. Potter.”

“Thank you Frank. Please call me Genevieve.”

“Sure… Genevieve.” Frank responded shyly.

“Well, before we begin… Have you any experience in laboratory work?” Genevieve asked.

“None whatsoever.” Frank answered honestly.

“Ah, not to worry, everyone has to start somewhere sometime.” Genevieve was thoughtful. She brightened as she spoke again, “Well, let’s begin by telling you what expectations I have of you as my FYP student!”  

Frank listened as Genevieve laid out her expectations.

“As an Honors Student in my lab, you have to know that we do animal work, namely with mice. Are you comfortable with that idea?”

“Not really, Professor.” Frank replied fairly. “But I think I can manage. It’s for the good of Science after all.”

“Good, at least you’re honest.” Genevieve looked pleasantly surprised. “If there comes a point of time where you feel that you cannot work with animals, please let me know. We will work out something else for you to do.” She continued. “Because of the fecundity rate of mice, sometimes we cannot control when the mice are born. Our work may involve working with mice at certain ages. For example, Ray Toro, the graduate student in my lab, works on two-week-old mice. Sometimes he comes in on weekends to do experiments at certain time-points.  You have to be willing to work on weekends – it’s practically unavoidable.”

“I’m fine with that as well, Professor.”

She nodded, smiling widely.

“My other expectation is that because you are an FYP student, I will expect you to do more readings. I will also expect you to ask questions whenever you do not understand something. I will expect you to be able to walk out of my laboratory and graduate from UoM with at least a basic understanding of laboratory techniques and scientific knowledge.”

Frank grinned as he nodded again. “I would want that for myself too, Professor.”

“Great, now that we have reached an understanding… Let’s talk about your future project, shall we?”

*

It was six o’ clock in the evening when Frank trudged out happily from Dr. Potter’s laboratory. After going through the basic outline of his project with him, Dr. Potter had introduced him to the other members of the laboratory. The lab comprised of four post-graduate students – Ray Toro, Pete Wentz, Brendon Urie, Cheryl Winters, and one lab technician, Patrick Stump. Dr. Potter passed him on into the tutelage of Ray Toro, who was a tall and very likeable individual. He had thick eyebrows, a large nose, and a wide, disarming smile that made Frank feel very welcome in his presence. Frank found Ray’s afro very cool, but Ray kept his hair tied up neatly when he worked in the laboratory. He was very patient with Frank, and had spent the rest of the day bringing him around the laboratory, imparting to Frank the rules and regulations of laboratory work, and various biosafety issues. Ray had signed him up for animal-work training on Wednesday, as Frank had to undergo training by the qualified members of the Animal Unit to obtain a license to do animal work. Ray promised to teach him cell culturing techniques tomorrow, and Frank was contented and excited about learning something new the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Frank is 23 years old in this story (10 years younger than Gerard) but is introduced as 22 years old due to the timeline being not past his birthday yet.
> 
> 2) And of course, both the Cropiex Virus or the Jupiter Virus do not exist. At least, not yet.
> 
> 3) Anima is Latin for soul.
> 
> 4) Mattie is a red cardinal. Here's a link if you wish to see how I imagined him to look like: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal/id


	2. A Most Interesting Conversation

__

_Wednesday, May 18 th, 2112                                   _

Frank was nursing a cup of coffee as he sat in the pantry, on one of the soft and comfortable blue window-seats. He was sitting cross legged, one side of his body leaning against the large glass window that stretched across the room as he stared out of the windows into the fields in front of the Immunology Building. It was 8am in the morning but there were already people moving about the school. The sun was blazing, and clouds drifted lazily across the azure sky. Frank could hear joyous birdsong through the window, and he felt relaxed and contented. In another hour, he would head towards the Animal Unit to begin his Animal Training Course.

There was the sound of footsteps as someone entered the pantry. Frank turned around and tensed when he saw the newcomer. However, he greeted him politely.

“Good morning, Professor Way!”

“Good morning! Ah, you’re the one I ran into a few days ago! So you’re in Genevieve’s lab now, aren’t you?” Professor Way enquired.

“Yes, sir, sorry about that! I’m Frank Iero, an Honors-Year student from Dr. Potter’s lab.”

Mattie chirruped loudly from his perch on Frank’s shoulders.

“Your Anima is quite handsome. What’s his name?” Professor Way remarked.

“Thank you, Professor.” Frank responded automatically. “Mattie’s a red cardinal.” Frank had always felt weird thanking people for complimenting Mattie’s beauty, as though he was the one responsible for it. But apparently, it was the polite thing to say in such situations and Frank had been raised well by his parents.

Professor Way smiled, and turned to get his own cup of coffee.

He tapped the top of the dispenser, and said out loud, “Black.”

There was a soft whirl of noise as the coffee dispenser spat out the black liquid into a paper cup. Frank secretly admired the handsome profile of the Professor. Thick black hair framing a round face, thick eyebrows over brown hazel eyes which were hidden behind his black-rimmed glasses, a small nose and pouty lips that looked extremely kissable. As the Professor bent to get his coffee, Frank’s gaze automatically went to his ass before he could stop himself. He blushed and quickly looked away before the Professor turned and caught him in the act of oogling.

 _Dammit, Frank, he’s ten years older and definitely not interested in you!_ He thought desperately to himself.

Professor Way sat down next to Frank at the window seat, gazing out of the window as well.

“Lovely morning,” The Professor commented off-handedly.

“Yes, it is.” Frank answered quietly. He couldn’t help himself but admire the way the sunlight fell across the Professor’s face.

Mattie suddenly chirruped slowly in sweet lilting tones into Frank’s ear. Frank reddened as Professor Way gazed at the both of them, intrigued.

 _“You want to mate with him!! Sing to him! Enthrall him with a love song!”_ Mattie teased, his red head nudging the side of Frank’s cheek gently.

“Mattie!!” Frank exclaimed, unable to contain his utter mortification. “Behave!”

Mattie let out a soft whistle like a little snort of laughter.

Professor Way smiled at Frank but his hazel-eyes looked alluringly confused.

 _“Thank goodness he doesn’t understand you!”_ Frank thought furiously at Mattie.

 _“Should I give him a hint?”_ The playful bird replied joyously.

Before Frank could stop him, Mattie flew towards Professor Way and landed gracefully on top of his right shoulder. Professor Way looked a little alarmed and his hazel eyes widened in amazement. He seemed unsure of how to react.

Animas seldom interacted with other people other than their Masters and family members. They responded only towards people that their Masters had strong feelings for, such as hate or love.

Or in this case, _lust_.

Frank groaned at this faux-pas.

As Mattie hopped closer towards Professor Way’s cheek, he let out a cheeky trill.  

 _“Oh, beautiful one, won’t you mate with my master?_ "

Frank groaned yet again as Professor Way looked curiously at the little red bird. Mattie pecked him lightly in greeting and rubbed his feathered head against his cheek as Professor Way laughed loudly.

“He’s quite spirited, isn’t he?” Professor Way asked Frank.

“You have no idea…” Frank muttered softly.

_“Mattie, if you don’t stop that this instance, I will tie you to a rope and dangle you over hot cooking oil when we get home. A **fraying** rope.”_

 Mattie ignored Frank as Professor Way started coo-ing to him.

“Hello there, aren’t you a handsome fellow.” He lifted a finger from his left hand and offered it to Mattie. Mattie looked consideringly at the finger as though being offered a tasty treat, cocking his head to one side, his brown eyes bright with pleasure. He hopped over to Professor’s Way outstretched finger, and started to preen himself.

 _“MATTIE!!”_ Frank yelled furiously in his head.

The sound of what sounded suspiciously like unbridled laughter echoed in his head as Mattie sang gloatingly. Professor Way petted the bird gingerly, stroking the raised crest on Mattie’s head. Frank liked to call the little tuff of red hair that stuck up at the top of Mattie’s head a Mohawk instead.

Mattie trilled happily under the Professor’s attentions as Frank fidgeted, blushing hotly as he pulled the collar away from his neck uncomfortably.

Professor Way then offered Mattie to Frank and Frank impatiently crooked his neck slightly to expose his shoulders a little more for Mattie to hop onto. Professor Way looked amused as he adjusted his glasses, chuckling as Mattie hopped back onto Frank’s shoulders.  

 _“Good choice, Master. He’s gentle and he smells nice. I approve!”_ The little bird crooned mischievously.

Frank wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury himself alive.

“ _YOU’RE A DEAD BIRD._ ” Frank thought. He gave the mental equivalent of a hard jab at Mattie.

Mattie started to preen himself peacefully, unconcerned.

“Fascinating.” Professor Way mused. “Has he always been like that? Interacting with people?”

“Yea,” Frank lied, “He’s different that way.” Frank thought that it was probably unwise to tell Professor Way that he was the only individual that Mattie had chosen to interact with apart from his parents. Even Richard Speight, his best friend, did not have this much contact with Mattie. Mattie hadn’t liked any of his ex-boyfriends either, and kept close to Frank all the time.  

“Mattie’s quite unique then!” Professor Way looked deep in thought for a long moment. Frank took a sip of his coffee as he waited for Professor Way to comment further.

“Most Anima I have seen tend to keep to their Masters and their loved ones.” Professor Way added absent-mindedly. “Strange…”

Frank almost choked on his coffee. Mattie took off from his shoulder and began to fly in circles around his head, chortling loudly.

Professor Way looked up at the agitated Mattie with a look of bewilderment.

_“He knows, he knows!! He knows that you want to mate with him!”_

Frank had conveniently forgotten that Professor Way’s primary research interest was in Animas.

“Uhm, yea.” Frank responded intelligently. He took another sip of his coffee. Professor Way looked consideringly at Frank as he tapped the bottom of his chin contemplatively.

“Would you mind if I studied you and Mattie?” Professor Way asked enthusiastically.

This time, Frank did choke on his coffee. He sputtered, gasping for air and his shoulders heaved forward with the effort of expelling the liquid that had gone into the wrong passageway.

“I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” Professor Way thumped Frank’s back apologetically. “That was way too abrupt and presumptive of me, I apologise. I always get excited when I see a living Anima.”

Frank waved his apology away, gasping slightly.

“No, Professor. It’s all right.”

He waved his hand over his white-shirt absent-mindedly, feeling the usual surge of Power radiating from his ring as he removed the coffee-stain from his shirt. The patch of liquid decreased in size, coalescing on itself as the brown stain slowly diminished into nothing, leaving his shirt clean and unblemished. Mattie continued to fly in circles around the two of them.

Professor Way looked puzzled for a moment, his head flicking between the flying bird and Frank’s hand before a look of intrigue flooded his hazel eyes again.

“Wow, you have two Animas!” His eyes shone with unconcealed… delight?

Frank grimaced. In the heat of the moment he had forgotten to use Mattie as a conduit for his Power. Professor Way was a member of the Seniorum Concilium! Hadn’t he already promised his father to stay hidden as much as he could?

Frank bit down on his lip hard. He looked at Professor Way, who was still waiting for his reply. He sighed inwardly.

“Yes, Professor. One living, and one inanimate.” He waved the silver Ouroboros ring on his right hand at Professor Way a little warily, uncertain as to what the Professor might feel about him.

“Interesting!!! I’ll love to study you and your Animas.”

Frank’s heart almost stopped in terror at those words.

Mattie twittered as he stopped in mid-air, flapping his wings happily.

_“Yes, please, you can study every inch of my Master!”_

Frank snapped at the bird, his nerves frayed by the situation.

“Get down here this instant, Mattie! You’re giving me a headache.”

Mattie landed on Frank’s shoulder again, his feet clutching the fabric of Frank’s shirt. Sensing Frank’s mood, Mattie silently rubbed the side of his coned coral beak against Frank’s cheek in an apologizing manner, his Mohawk tickling his skin. Frank sighed as he stroked the top of Mattie’s head.

Professor Way peered at Frank, and the laugh lines at the edges of his eyes deepened as he frowned in concern. Professor Way looked a little abashed as he asked, “Are you alright? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overwhelm you. Don’t worry about it, Frank. No pressure.”

“Ah, I’m sorry about that, Professor.”

“As I said, don’t worry about it.” Frank thought that he had seen a look of disappointment on Professor Way’s face but it was replaced by a warm, sincere smile.

“I’m not too comfortable with being a test-subject.” Frank admitted. He stared calculatedly at Professor Way, and then decided to tell him the truth. “I don’t really want to get into trouble with the Seniorum Concilium... or the Osores either.” He said softly.

Professor Way’s expression cleared in understanding, and he nodded.

“Of course, of course. I’m sorry. Don’t worry about it, Frank.” He cleared his throat. “Don’t tell anyone, but I never liked the Council’s stance on Animas.” He whispered conspiratorially, spoiling the effect by winking at him.

Frank laughed a little weakly. Since the Death Plague, every individual had been required to register the type and the number of Animas they owned with the Registrar’s Office. These records were known as the Anima Records. People with more than one Anima, or Multiples, as they were more frequently called, had been discriminated against for decades. As Multiples were thought to be generally more powerful, the public tended to be more wary and distrustful of them. The Seniorum Concilium also cracked down hard on these individuals, placing severe limitations and restrictions on them. Movements were limited and the use of Powers were recorded and tracked by the Registrar’s Office relentlessly. There was no privacy for these individuals.

Frank understood that fear and mistrust.

 _Condemnant quod non intellegunt_ … They condemn because they do not understand. It was human nature to doubt and view with suspicion something that you weren’t familiar with or couldn’t control. It hadn’t helped that a couple of Dark Powers had risen over the years. Most had risen due to this prejudice. The most memorable and earth shattering rebellion that had occurred was the Anima War.

The Anima War had taken place twenty years ago, just a few months before Frank’s own Ascension. A Multiple by the name of Xavier Inius had risen. Inius had been a rich businessman, dabbling in many industries. A rival company somehow managed to find out that Inius had more than three Animas, and that he had lied to the Registrar’s Office that he had only one. His family had kept this secret for many years. Inius’s secret was gleefully leaked to the press by his rival company. Public outrage over Inius’s deception had caused a tragedy. Inius’s family had been mobbed, lynched and killed in public. The public hanging had driven Inius mad. A charismatic individual, Inius had stepped out into the public eye and urged Multiples like him to fight back for the injustice that had been committed to people like them for decades. He cried out for the need of equality, and the need to abolish the Anima Records to protect the families of Powers who owned more than one Anima. It had sparked the beginning of a long, bloody war as Multiples rose to meet him in battle. The Anima War finally ended when Xavier Inius had been killed six years ago. But the devastating effects of the war had already made its point.

The Anima Records had been expunged three years ago. The current law in place was that no one should be judged on the type of Anima or the number of Animas that they owned. Each individual would be judged based on a system of meritocracy instead. Discrimination against people based on their Animas was an offense.

It was well-known that Professor Gerard Way was one of those who had pushed for the bill. In addition to being one of the youngest members of the Seniorum Concilium (he had been twenty-seven when he had been accepted into the Council six years ago), he was also one of the main spearheads in Anima research. His work had led him to the fact that Power was innate, and a gift of nature. All individuals were born with differing levels of Powers. Animas were simply a conduit to channel the raw Power each individual had. Professor Way established that one could have many Animas without being any more powerful than the average individual owning one Anima. Thus, his research had led him to conclude that the number of Animas did not contribute to or affect the level of an individual’s Power.

Although the Seniorum Concilium passed the bill based on the strong results of Professor Way’s work and his scientific expertise, it was no secret that the Seniorum Concilium still kept strong tabs on indiscrete individuals who had more than one Anima.

Frank’s heart swelled in worry. How could he have been so stupid to reveal his secret to Professor Way? The War had ended, but there were many who were still bitterly reminiscing the past where they had lost loved ones, and many who were still strongly discriminating Multiples. These people, who were known as Osores, still existed. The Osores were a terrorist organization that had risen after the War. They carried out executions or hate crime against Multiples. Frank had never seen one of these individuals before, but heard many stories about them. They came in groups, dressed uniformly in black and midnight-blue leather half-masks obscuring their faces etched with the silver words _S_ _tamus contra malum_ – we stand against evil – like black crows circling carrion, leaving a wake of destruction, terror and death behind them. His heart started beating wildly in horror.

 “Don’t worry Frank,” Professor Way said softly, when he realized that Frank had been utterly silent. “If it helps, I have a brother in the same situation as you.”

Frank’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Really?”

Professor Way nodded.

“I understand how it feels like. I may be a member of the Council, but I will keep this secret for you. Please trust me.” He said sincerely.

Frank felt relieved.

“Thank you, Professor Way.”

Professor Way shot him a shy grin, his lips twitching at the corners in amusement.

“I’m sure my brother will love to meet you,” He chuckled.

“I’ll like to meet him too,” Frank answered slowly. “I don’t know many people like me… It’s not exactly… normal…”

Professor Way looked stern for a moment.

“It’s not an illness, Frank. Don’t say it like that. It’s a gift.”

Frank shook his head sadly.

“No offence, Professor. I’ll love to see the day when it is regarded as a gift. But currently? I don’t see it that way. I don’t wish to be pessimistic, but… the War is still too fresh in our memories.”

Professor Way sighed, but nodded.

“You’re right, of course. I hope we will both live to see that day.” Professor Way said dejectedly. “Well, it’s been nice talking to you,” he brightened as he finished his own coffee. “It’s been lovely to meet you too, Mattie.” Professor Way chuckled as Mattie bobbed his head intelligently in reply, trilling softly. Frank could feel the waves of approval rolling off the bird towards the man. It wasn’t often that Mattie was acknowledged as a separate entity in Frank’s conversations as well, and he knew that Mattie felt respected and recognized by this charming man.

Professor Way crumpled the paper cup in his hands and it vanished with a surge of Power as he tossed it upwards in mid-air. Frank caught the sight of a flash of silver on his left ring finger.

_Ah… Is that his Anima? Or does that mean he’s married? Or both?_

“I need to head back to my office to finish up my paperwork.” Professor Way grimaced. He reached over and patted Frank’s shoulder, the one that was Mattie-free, and said firmly, “Don’t worry about it, Frank. I’ll keep your secret safe.” He smiled and turned away, his black shoes clicking smartly against the floor as Frank called out his thanks.

*

 The earliest part of Frank’s childhood that he remembered was when he was three years old. The Ascension of Power took place when a child turned three. The family members of the child would choose an object to gift to a child. During the Ascension, these objects would be placed before the child, and the innate Power within the child would be triggered into maturation when he touched an object of his choice. That object would become the child’s Anima, and would be used as a conduit for his Power. 

Frank remembered his Ascension, albeit faintly. His family had provided the candidate Animas in the form of jewelry. He had grown up to be thankful for that. The fact that jewelry was personal and could be carried close to his body made it easier to conduct his Power whenever he needed it. He had met a couple of friends who had been gifted things like books and toys, which was terribly annoying to carry around most of the time. That other time when he realized that one of his classmates had a rubber ducky for an Anima (given to him by one of his uncles who had had a falling out with his classmate’s parents), he had to control his laughter until he had walked away from his friend. Then, when he had calmed down, he had gone home to hug his parents tightly, thankful that they had not taken any liberties with the choice of his Anima objects to make their son’s life a living joke.

For his Ascension, his mother had given him a necklace, a dragon coiled around an opal, his birthstone. His grandparents had given him an earring, a simple silver stud. His father had commissioned a silver Ouroboros ring for him, a silver serpent with ruby eyes swallowing its own tail. The Ouroboros ring was a thing of beauty. His father’s own Anima had been a golden Ouroboros ring, and Frank Sr. had custom-made the gift for his son, hoping that his only child would also Ascend into his Power via the Ouroboros silver ring.

Frank remembered his parents setting him down in front of the three objects in the garden. It was a beautiful, bright and sunny day. Frank remembered feeling happy in the presence of his loving family. His grandparents had come by with their gift, and to watch their grandson’s Ascension. He remembered being hugged and kissed by them. He could remember how his grandmother smelled like, a faint scent of roses and lilies, and his grandfather smelling like smoke and the ocean. His grandparents had enlarged the small earring with their Powers as it had seemed tiny next to the necklace and the ring, so that three-year old Frank could look at the three objects properly.

Well, at least as objectively as any three-year old could.

Three year old Frank had at once been captivated by the ring. But at the same time, a curious thing happened. Frank had been reaching out to touch the ring as his family watched with bated breath when a songbird suddenly flew down from a tree, curious as to the fuss that was happening in the garden. It hopped right in front of Frank. A brilliant crimson red, with tinges of blue and gray down his lovely plumage, the cardinal had a black face mask that extended from between his eyes to slightly above his chest, making him look like a tiny masked robber. He had a raised prominent crest, like a Mohawk that stuck up at the back of his head. His bright, coral beak opened to sing, twittering a lovely tune that sounded joyous.

Three year old Frank had started clapping happily, affected by the little bird’s merry tune. The bird had at first been startled, hopping anxiously away, but after observing the toddler and his family members (who had been watching this unexpected circumstance with growing interest and excitement) for a while longer, and appearing to come to the conclusion that they would not do anything to harm him, the little bird opened his mouth again, chirping conversationally at Frank. The toddler had innocently reached out to the bird to touch him, calling the bird Mattie – and to the astonishment of his family members, the cardinal flew towards him in response, landing on his shoulders and rubbing his red Mohawk lovingly across the young child’s face.

His parents had later told him that they had not expected Mattie to appear during Frank’s Ascension. It was quite rare for Anima to be living. What was even more unexpected was that three year old Frank had also reached out for the Ouroboros ring at the same time, and there had been an instantaneous burst of Power, a golden, iridescent aura which pulsated in all directions. His family members had been taken aback by strength of the Power that they had felt. Soon, they realized that Frank had gained two Animas… One living and one inanimate.

As Frank grew up, his father taught him the meaning of the Ouroboros. It depicted the cycle of life, symbolizing the never-ending continuity of life; and the struggle between darkness and light, the joining and co-existence of opposites. Frank understood what his father wanted for him, to understand the meaning of life, the never ending struggle between good and evil. It served as a reminder to Frank now, to use his Powers only for good.

At the same time, because of the War that had sparked on earlier in the year, Frank’s family decided not to register the fact that he had more than one Anima. For the sake of his family, and his own safety, Frank’s father had fiercely drilled into Frank the need for discretion. Since they couldn’t possibly hide Mattie away, Frank had been taught to use Mattie as a conduit for his power in public. As for his Ouroboros ring, Frank’s father had charmed it so that it would fit his right index finger as he grew, and Frank learnt how to conduct his Power through his ring secretly. However, he learnt to use it only when he was alone or with his family members. Frank didn’t even conduct his Power through his ring in front of his best friend, Richard Speight. Frank had simply confided in Richard, after years of friendship and knowing that Richard was a reliable friend who would do anything for him.

The War was a constant reminder of the possible dangers to Frank. People died. He knew people around him who died because of the war. Every day, the young child lived in constant fear of being discovered. Frank matured too young because of it. He knew that any outsider who found out that Frank had two Animas could severely endanger his life, or even worse, the lives of his beloved family members.

Had it been the right decision to trust Professor Gerard Way?


	3. Richard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank has a chat with his best friend.

_Monday, May 16 th, 2112_

Frank tapped his Fitch as he lay languidly in bed, his head on his pillow and his feet stretched out in front of him.

“Playlist,” he murmured.

The Fitch projected a small screen in mid-air in front of him. Frank reached out and began to scroll through his playlist. He clicked an album at random, and the room began to fill with music.

“Mattie, set up the Workstation for me, will you?”

Mattie twittered in affirmation as he hopped onto Frank’s table and picked up a tiny tablet. He held it in his beak as he flew towards Frank’s stomach. He dropped the tablet on Frank’s stomach before tapping it with his beak.

The tablet rose in mid-air, spinning as it grew larger, expanding in size to become a flat piece of glass. It hovered in midair, adjusting its angle so that Frank could view it comfortably while lying down on his bed. Mattie hopped closer to Frank, nuzzling his neck. Frank stroked Mattie’s head tenderly and Mattie cooed in response before shifting himself to cuddle closer against Frank’s neck. He tucked his beak into the feathers on his back and settled down to snooze on Frank’s pillow.

Frank placed both his palms flat on the glass that was still hovering in mid-air. The initially obsidian glass flashed a vivid blue and began to hum softly as his Workstation recognized his identity. He logged onto Sunset, noting that it was 10p.m which meant it was 12p.m over at Australia, which was 14 hours ahead of Toronto. He waited for Richard to log onto Sunset and call him. Richard, who was a year older than Frank, had graduated from UoM with a BSc. in Business Administration a year ago, choosing not to continue on to his Honors year, instead going overseas to Sydney to work in the Australian branch of his father’s company.

Frank missed his best friend. Having your best friend 15,000 miles away and in an entirely different time zone sucked, especially when you had something you wanted to tell him. They managed to make things work though, using Sunset to stay in contact. Frank met Richard online at 10p.m. almost every single day, and Richard would use his lunch hour to talk to Frank. The amount of effort that Richard put in to keep in contact with Frank amazed him. He had been devastated when Richard had left for Australia, convinced that he would lose the best friend and elder brother that he never had to the distance. However, Richard had sworn that he would not let it fuck up their relationship, and so far, things had been pretty alright. Although Frank missed hanging out and going to places with his best friend, talking to him almost every day made it all better.

His Workstation pinged softly, and Frank grinned as a little window popped up on his screen.

 _ **I’m abso-fucking-lutely awesome** has just logged in_.

Frank opened the Sunset application, clicked on his friend’s account to open a chat box and began to type on the screen.

 **Thank you for the venom** : Hey, free to talk?

 **I’m abso-fucking-lutely awesome** : I’ve had a fucking shitty day. I’m starving. I’m gonna go get lunch first. Be back in a few?

 **Thank you for the venom** : Yea, sure. Take your time.

 **I’m abso-fucking-lutely awesome** : Laters, baby <3<3<3

Frank rolled his eyes, but the sides of his lips twitched into a smirk. Richard could be such an asshole sometimes. He knew that Richard would take some time to get his lunch and probably won't reply him any time soon, but he began typing a question anyway.

 **Thank you for the venom** : What happened? Did Michael give you shit again?

Fifteen minutes later, his Workstation went off, Richard’s voice filling the room, “Ring ring, pick up the call, Frankie!! Don’t keep me waiting, darling!”, followed by the sound of wet kisses. Frank sat up from his bed, leaning back against his wall as he peered at his Workstation.

 ** _I’m abso-fucking-lutely awesome_** _is calling_

Frank picked up the call. His Workstation, which had been hovering in mid-air, flattened itself horizontally and projected an image above it.

“Michael was an asshole today.” Richard’s face popped into view as he complained loudly. From the image, Frank could tell that Richard was seated in his office, leaning back in the chair behind his office table as he chewed on a chocolate bar. “Fucking bastard chided me in front of the Board of Directors, saying that I wasn’t taking the company seriously!”

“Hello Richard. It’s so nice to see you too, Richard. My day was fine, thank you very much. How was your day?” Frank asked sarcastically.

Richard continued speaking, ignoring Frank.

“… In front of the Board of Directors! I’m his fucking brother!” Richard sputtered as he waved his chocolate bar indignantly in the air. “Godammit I was tired alright, I had a late night working on the fucking proposal for the collaboration with Singapore Axis… I can’t help it if I fall asleep during such a boring meeting!”

Frank raised an incredulous eyebrow at Richard.

“You fell asleep.”

Richard scowled at him.

“During an important Board of Directors meeting.”

Frank barely managed to hide a grin as Richard’s scowl grew more impressive.

“Hey, considering that I only had an hour of sleep after working my ass off for that proposal, the fact that I showed up at all for that meeting shows that I’m taking the company very seriously.”

“I bet you fell asleep while Michael was talking.”

“Can you blame me for that? You’ve met my boring and pissy asshole of a brother; you know what he’s like.” Richard protested. He lowered his voice, schooled his expression into a constipated looking one and mimicked the stiff, monotonous and stately way Michael spoke, “The collaboration with Singapore Axis is very important and we must put in great effort to ensure that all goes well for the sake of the company.”

Frank snickered loudly. Richard did an excellent impression of Michael.

“You sure you were up late because of the proposal?”

Richard snapped out of his Michael impersonation, smirked, and winked at Frank.

“Well… there was this chick who took up the rest of my night…”

Frank rolled his eyes at Richard.

“You’re a hopeless case, dude.”

“She was flexible alright…” Richard said dreamily. Frank raised an eyebrow at him again. “Damn she had the tightest…” Richard made a gesture that was almost rude.

“Stop. Dude. TMI. ” Frank protested. “I don’t want to know.” He pointed to himself. “Gay, remember? Not interested in the description of the the female anatomy.”

Richard snorted in response, flicking a hand through his brown hair, smoothing it back.

“Your loss. Never can understand why you prefer dudes.”

He popped the last bite of his chocolate bar into his mouth and tossed the wrapper out of sight, before reaching for another. 

Frank eyed Richard’s second chocolate bar warily. “Please don’t tell me that that’s your lunch, Richard.”

 “Nope, it’s not my lunch.” Richard grinned widely, revealing chewed up chocolate in his mouth and brown bits stuck on his teeth.

“Ew, gross,” Frank glared at the disgusting sight.

“It’s my breakfast and lunch,” Richard continued cheekily.

“That can’t be healthy! I swear you’re going to get diabetes soon,” Frank complained. “And when you have to get your leg amputated or something, I’m going to rub it in your face and say, ‘I told you so.’ ”

“Awwww… you’re worried about me. I never knew you cared so much. This is such an epic love story! We’re gonna make awesome babies.” Richard batted his eyelashes at Frank coyly.

 “That’s just… revolting.” Frank shuddered. “Stop it; you’re making my hair stand on end.”

Richard smirked, his brown eyes twinkling mischievously as he leaned forward in his seat to make kissy-faces at Frank.

“Don’t worry Frankie, I’ll be fine. I love you too!” Richard blew a kiss at Frank. Frank pulled a martyred face.

“I’m going to fucking punch you again the next time I see you,” Frank threatened.

“Empty threats, empty threats!” Richard sing-songed as he tossed the chocolate wrapper behind him again. “Every time you see me, the first thing you do, kiddo, is to hug the fucking daylights out of me. Not to mention you haven’t managed to land a single punch on me after that first time.”

Frank rolled his eyes.

Richard and Frank had met in high school. Richard was a fun loving, obnoxiously loud and crazy individual who played pranks on everyone – in particular, the outcasts of the school. He had been part of the popular crowd whereas Frank had been part of the outcasts, and was the target of most of Richard’s pranks.

It had been that kind of age when stupidity reigned over sense, and Richard’s pranks could be over the line and downright cruel sometimes. After a particularly nasty prank that resulted in Frank being stuck in one of the school lockers overnight, Frank had stalked up to Richard in the cafeteria the next day, furious and trembling with anger. Without even thinking about it, Frank had punched Richard right in the face in front of the whole school. Richard had staggered back with the force of the punch, looking a little dazed as he clutched his cheek, which began to swell rapidly. There had been dead silence in the cafeteria and the whole school watched on in bated breath. The rest of the “popular crowd” who hung around Richard had been taken aback, and all eyes were fixed on Richard as they waited for his response.

For a long, horrendous moment, Frank thought that his life in high school was officially over. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the aftermath of his actions.

Frank would never forget what happened next.

Richard had burst out into laughter, hooting wildly. He smacked Frank firmly on the back, startling him.

“You’ve got a mean right hook! I promise you Iero, that’s the last time you’ll ever hit me. I hope you remember that!” Chortling, Richard had walked away, leaving the rest of his usual group of friends bewildered, eyes roving between Frank and Richard as they tried to make sense of the situation.

After that, the pranks stopped – well, Richard did continue to play pranks on other people, but he did not touch Frank again. Frank would have been grateful that Richard was leaving him alone if not for the fact that he feared that Richard had something extremely horrible in store for him (Last time he'll ever hit Richard? That sounded terribly ominous - at least, to Frank). What fuelled his paranoia was the fact that Richard started acting perfectly… dare he even think it… _nice_ to him.

The first day after Frank punched Richard in the face, Richard had greeted him with a nod of the head as he passed him in the halls.

“Iero.”

Frank had been so taken aback that he had dropped his books on the floor.

Richard did not say anything else. He merely smirked and bent down to help Frank pick up his books. He then shoved the books into Frank’s arms before giving Frank a little salute with his fingers and walking away. Richard’s friends looked extremely perplexed as they observed this exchange between the two of them.

Frank had been stunned.

For the first time, there were no sarcastic comments. No insults whatsoever.

Richard Speight did not do nice. Not now, not _ever._

Or so Frank thought.

For one whole month, Frank walked on tenterhooks, fearing retribution from Richard. As the weeks past, Frank slowly got used to the fact that Richard Speight was acknowledging his presence, but generally leaving him alone. And he was glad about that.

Then things suddenly got much, much worse.

Richard started _talking_ to him.

He would wander over from his table in the cafeteria during lunch, away from the “popular crowd” to where Frank would be sitting alone. Richard would sit opposite Frank and engage him in conversation, occasionally pinching French fries or cookies from Frank's lunchtray and ignoring the confused looks from his own group of friends.

What was Richard Speight doing, hanging out with a loser like Frank?

Frank was baffled too, and on edge every time Richard talked to him. When Richard had given him a friendly punch on the shoulder after telling Frank a joke one day, Frank had flinched so hard that Richard had shot him a hurt and confused look. The fact that Richard’s expression look so genuinely pained made Frank blurt out, “What the hell do you want with me, Speight? Stop fucking with me and get to the point! I’ve had enough of your motherfucking games!”

Richard had merely raised his eyebrows in response, his confounded expression clearing in seconds. He had instantly understood the reason behind Frank’s unease.

“I don’t have any hidden agendas, Iero. I merely want to be your friend.”

“Why me? You have lots of friends!” Frank gestured to the “popular crowd”.

Richard shrugged in response.

“You’re the only one who dares to stand up to me. Everyone else just puts up with my bullshit, but you’re different. I want a friend who can tell me when I’ve gone wrong and call me on my bullshit. Is that so hard to understand?”

The expression on Richard’s face looked so honest and sincere that Frank began to think that he may have been wrong about Richard’s intentions towards him after all.

Although Frank was never really accepted into the “popular crowd” – not that he was ever interested in being part of them – he gradually became grateful that Richard befriended him, because it meant that the popular kids left him alone and did not pick on him. However, what was more important was that Richard became his best friend, and now Frank couldn’t imagine a day without his friendship.

“It sucks that you’re so far away, Richard.” Frank said softly.

At Frank’s melancholic tone, Richard appeared to sober up.

“I know,” he nodded, agreeing. Then he brightened up again. “I promise I’ll be back for your graduation ceremony though.”

Frank scowled. “That’s a whole fucking year away!”

“Sorry, kiddo, but I don’t think I can step away from the company any time soon.” Richard looked regretful. “Michael wants me on a couple of projects. They'll require my full attention and this year’s gonna be critical. I gotta make sure things run smoothly.”

Frank sighed, but shrugged. “I guess work’s more important than me.” His tone, although still melancholic, took on a slightly teasing tilt.

Richard grinned, recognizing Frank’s playful expression.

“Aww baby, you’ll be fine without me.” He blew Frank a loud kiss. He picked up his third chocolate bar, peeling away the wrapper. “How was your day, anyway?”

Frank grimaced.

“Damn Richard, you’ll never believe what happened…” He proceeded to tell Richard about his conversation with Professor Gerard Way.

“Fuck, you really get into all kinds of trouble without me!” Richard exclaimed out loud after listening to Frank’s account. "I can't believe you were so careless as to let yourself get distracted by Pretty Boy!"

Frank winced at Richard's comment, but did not protest - it was kind of true anyway.

“Tell me about it…” Frank sighed, rubbing his forehead worriedly.

“What do you think? Is this guy going to get you into trouble?” Richard asked anxiously, leaning forward in his office chair, his third chocolate bar forgotten. “I can help, you know. I can fly back now. The conversation between the two of you could have never happened.”

Frank hesitated. Richard had a unique gift – he was one of those rare Powers who could alter memories or take them away. The usage of this gift was highly illegal (only done by Powers who were officially licensed). Modifiers, as they were called, were also closely monitored by the Seniorum Concilium.  It was a reason why Richard never flaunted his gift, and Frank only knew about it because Richard had taken him into confidence. Richard never used his gift unless it was absolutely necessary and only with the consent of the owner of the memories. The last time Richard used his gift had been after Frank had begged Richard for days to help a female schoolmate who had been attacked by an Osore and been brutally raped and beaten. Richard had been reluctant because even though memories could be altered, the emotions and scars left behind by the attack would never be erased. In addition, memory alteration was an imprecise and delicate art, and if done inappropriately could lead to brain damage. Even the best of Powers could not ensure that after the process of memory alteration, the owner of those memories would remain healthy and sane. There had been reports of people undergoing memory alterations who had ultimately gone mad because of the residual emotions that remained. Some ended up perpetually wondering why they were feeling certain bouts of emotions at odd times. Those who dwelled on it were never able to move on, and gradually drove themselves insane.

After obtaining the consent of the girl and swearing her to secrecy about Richard’s gift, Richard had given in –he left enough memories for her to know that she had been attacked – but took away most of the details so that she would not dwell too much on it and be able to move on and live in peace. Memory alteration was really quite a gray area – fucking with someone’s mind was never right, even if it was done for the good of the individual. In fact, even though Frank was relieved to know that his schoolmate was now happier and moving on with her life, he sometimes wondered whether it had been right for them to do it. However, when he remembered watching the once cheerful and bubbly girl suffer under the burden of her attack, Frank simply accepted that what they had done had been for the best. 

The fact that even though Richard disliked using his gift but was willing to use it to protect Frank warmed Frank’s heart. Richard really acted like a protective big brother sometimes.

 “I… I don’t think so, Richard. Professor Way seems reliable. Besides, he told me he had a brother who was a Multiple.”

Richard wrinkled his nose in thought.

“Are you sure? You’re too trusting, Frank. I don’t think it’s a good thing that you’re so willing to believe Pretty Boy.” Richard laced his fingers together, fixing Frank with a contemplative look. “I don’t know whether I should say that you’re incredibly naïve or stupid.”

Frank thought about Professor Way, remembering the earnest and honest expression on his face when he promised to keep Frank’s secret for him. He sighed loudly.

“I don’t know, Richard. But my instincts tell me that he’s alright.”

Richard leaned back in his seat.

“Alright. It’s your decision. Don’t let Pretty Boy fool you though. Any sign that he’s going to betray your confidence and you call me right away, capisci?” He said sternly.

“I will. Thanks, Richard."


	4. The Seniorum Concilium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, Gerard wished he was never a part of the Seniorum Concilium.

__

_Saturday, May 21 st, 2112_

Gerard had been intrigued by the boy the first time he had laid eyes upon him. Apart from the fact that the boy had a living Anima, a beautiful red cardinal, he had been captivated by the friendship that existed between the boy and the bird. The way the boy moved his arm without saying a single word at a soft chirp from the bird, and the way the bird instinctively flew towards him to take his place on the boy’s shoulders as they made their way towards the Immunology Office was a lovely image to behold. Gerard was even more intrigued when he realized that Frank was a Multiple.

It helped that the boy was gorgeous as well. He had short, black hair framing his face and gorgeous hazel eyes that gave way to a vivid green under the sunlight. His features were sharp, but were softened by his smooth cheeks and pink lips. Gerard had been ogling his muscular chest and the smooth curve of Frank’s hips and firm ass before he had snapped out of it, sternly telling himself that the University frowned upon such relationships and that he was too old (Good heavens, an age difference of ten years!) for Frank.

The intelligence of the boy had been refreshing to Gerard. Frank had been right about the Anima situation. Although Gerard had tried to be careful and encouraging towards Frank in order not to dissuade him, he had been pleasantly surprised by Frank’s maturity when Frank reasoned that it was still way too early to be hopeful about Animas ever being a neutral topic in the potential future. The political situation was still very much fragile. Even though the law had been passed to make discrimination against Multiples a crime, several members of the Seniorum Concilium were still pushing for the establishment of a replacement law to make the Anima records a neccesity again.

Gerard was growing very weary of the situation. However, considering how delicate it was currently, he would fight till the very end to make sure that the Anima Records were never established again as long as he was on the Seniorum Concilium.

“I will call the meeting to order now.” Startled out of his thoughts, Gerard turned towards the elderly Iustus Fletcher, the Dux, or the chairperson of the Seniorum Concilium. The Seniorum Concilium comprised of twenty-one members, including the Dux. Iustus was tall, with sharp, angular features, a hook-nose, and a shock of white hair. The Dux was the peacekeeper of the Council. His role was to listen to both sides of the argument, bearing no prejudice or bia-ness towards any side. Thus, he could not influence the vote towards any potential bill in any way. Iustus was the one with the authority to establish the seat of an individual in the Council, and to call for votes towards the establishment of a bill.

Gerard had been pleasantly surprised when Iustus had approached him for a position on the Council, convinced that Gerard’s expertise and scientific knowledge would be illuminating and educational to the Council. He wanted Gerard to present an unbiased, objective and more accurate scientific assessment of issues that may crop up during Council meetings. He believed that Gerard could provide relevant information and knowledge and thus be able influence more adequately the views of the members on the Seniorum Concilium towards the establishment of bills that would be more useful for the future.

Iustus’s Anima was a fountain pen. Gerard watched as Iustus flicked the pen casually in the air, and there was a soft pop of noise as paper appeared. The pen flew out of Iustus’s reach and began to scribble conscientiously on the paper in mid-air, taking the minutes of the meeting.

The Council met in the Hall of Justitia within the Seniorum Concilium Building. The Hall of Justitia was a large hall, with a long, marble table that stretched the entire length of the room. Marble chairs were placed around the table, twenty-one in total, with the Dux’s chair right at the head of the table. At the end of the room was a gorgeous and elegant marble statue of Lady Justice, blindfolded and carrying a set of scales and a sword. Lady Justice was portrayed as blindfolded to show her objectivity in meting out justice, to show that she would not be swayed by power or weakness. The set of scales in her right hand were to show that she would measure the facts against or for a conviction. The sword symbolized the power to enforce and convict people of their crimes. Gerard had always loved the statue, and the deep meaning behind it.  

“Mark Pellegrino has called for this meeting to address the situation that has occurred this morning.” Iustus said, a little blandly.

Gerard groaned inwardly. He should have known that Mark Pellegrino would make use of the tragedy that had occurred earlier this morning. Mark Pellegrino was one of those members on the Seniorum Concilium who was pushing for a second bill to reestablish the Anima Records again.

Mark leaned forward in his seat, and bowed slightly towards Iustus. Iustus inclined his head in acknowledgment.

“This morning, a tragedy occurred on Javier’s Street. A Multiple attacked members of the public, killing an entire street of people all at once, including his own wife. He was apprehended on the spot by the Guardia.” He sneered slightly.

Gerard bristled in his seat. Trust Pellegrino to leave out vital information on the case.

“I think you’ve oversimplified matters, Pellegrino. Valer and his wife were attacked by five Osores in public. They had merely been minding their own business, doing their weekly grocery shopping, and had not been doing anything wrong when they were attacked. Did you expect Valer not to defend himself?” Riordan Black, the oldest council member after Iustus, opened his mouth to speak sarcastically.

Pellegrino’s eyes glittered with unconcealed amusement.

“No, I did not. It was his right to defend himself. However, defence is not equitable to innocence. It may have been his right to defend himself against those who attacked him, but he murdered an entire street of innocent people, including his own wife! That proves how dangerous these people can be, especially people like Valer who cannot control their overwhelming Powers.”

“You speak as though only Multiples have that problem! There have been cases of individuals with single Anima who have lost control of their Powers as well!” Jim Beaver protested, waving his hands emphatically in the air.

“Yes, Jim, that is true. However, the extent of destruction has been much greater for Multiples.” Pellegrino continued smoothly. “Are you not afraid that one day, someone like Valer would be unable to control his or her Powers and we would find ourselves murdered in our sleep? Are you not afraid that you’ll be innocently walking down the street one moment and then in the next moment find yourself being blasted apart into bits and pieces by a Multiple who cannot control their Powers? Even if you’re not afraid for yourself, are you not afraid for your children?” Pellegrino cried out passionately.

His eyes blazed as he continued to speak.  “We have lost too much to these people. Ever since the Anima Records have been obliterated, the number of crimes related to Multiples has increased exponentially. I’m sure that you have noticed that every time you read the papers.”

Kate Cassidy spoke up in a soft lilting voice.

“I agree with Pellegrino. These people have killed innocents, destroyed property, and are still terrorizing our young. We have suffered enough.”

Pellegrino nodded at Kate in thanks as he spoke again.

“In consideration of the elevated crime rates and all that has occurred after the removal of the Anima Records, I propose that we overthrow the current Anima law and override it with one that requires all Animas to be registered again.” There was a buzz of noise from the rest of the council.

Gerard tried not to scoff. However, looking around the hall, Gerard realized that not all of the council members disagreed with Pellegrino. He mentally took note of those people who were nodding in agreement at Pellegrino’s words.

Riordan Black opinioned, “Pellegrino, I believe you are missing the point here. The Osores are the main problem here, are they not? They are the ones causing panic among the public. We have outlawed discrimination against Multiples, yet they still chose to target them. They are the ones that we should be concerned about!”

“With all due respect, I disagree. It is because the people are dissatisfied with the law that the Osores exist. It is because of the fact that these Powers are dangerous that the Osores have chosen to take it upon themselves to remove them from society. If we were to reestablish the Anima Records again, the Osores would have no reason to exist!” Pellegrino sneered.

“Establishing the Anima Records would only give the Osores a greater incentive to exist! A list of names of all who have multiple Animas – you may as well throw a party for the Osores and tell them to enjoy themselves! You’ll be giving those Powers a death sentence!” Jensen Ackles protested loudly from the other corner of the room.

Gerard schooled his countenance into a vaguely serene one and patiently said, “Mark, with all due respect, I’m sure I have mentioned this many times before, but my research shows that…”

Pellegrino interrupted him in mid-sentence.

“Yes, Professor, we know what **your** research has shown,” Pellegrino sneered mockingly, unconcerned. “But… ah… the _truth_ does not seem to measure up to what you have said so far…”

“I’ll have you know that there are many other scientific names who agree with me on this!” Gerard said, feeling incensed that Pellegrino was placing doubt in his work and expertise.

“I’m sure of that, Professor.” Pellegrino waved a dismissive hand in Gerard’s direction (Gerard felt an irrational urge to set Pellegrino’s hair on fire), “However, the situation so far remains that these Powers have proven themselves to be dangerous… and measures should be taken to put them in place.”

“Have you forgotten the Anima War?” Samantha Ferris cried out from the other end of the room. “It’s because of these measures that caused the War in the first place!”

There was a murmur of agreement from some members of the council.

“Of course, more severe measures could be put in place to curb the more problematic Powers…” Pellegrino responded.

“That will only cause more resentment among the people! You’ll be declaring war once again!” Jim Beaver retorted.

“Do you need me to list the number of people with only one Anima who have committed heinous crimes?” Gerard contributed hotly.

Pellegrino laughed, his lips twitching slyly as he shot a response back at Gerard.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ve made that argument many times in defense of your brother, _Professor_.”

Gerard turned bright red with anger, and there was another loud roar of noise from the council members but before Gerard could make any response, there was an explosive pop of noise as Iustus waved his hand quickly over his pen and called for attention again once more.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Please desist at once!”

Gerard clamped his mouth shut firmly, clenching his fingers so tightly that his fingernails dug into his skin, leaving deep red half-moon indentations behind.

Iustus turned towards Pellegrino. “Personal attacks are shameful, Mr. Pellegrino, and should not be made against any esteemed individual of the Council.”

Pellegrino nodded, but smirked at Gerard, saying nothing. Gerard gritted his teeth in fury.

“We are all sensible folks here. We are the main body in charge of making legislative laws, and we should always remain dispassionate and focused. It will not do to have fighting amongst ourselves. Our goals should be focused on the welfare of our community instead.” Iustus said sternly. His fountain pen skidded across the paper frantically, taking down his words.

“Council members, I think that that will be all for today’s session.” Iustus paused. “We shall reconvene in another two weeks’ time. You shall be notified of the exact time and date a few days before the scheduled meeting.”

“In the meantime, do take note of the arguments that have been presented today. Look at the situation from both sides of the coin.” Iustus emphasized heavily. “Our next meeting would be a continuation of today’s topic, on whether there is a need to reestablish the Anima Records again. Have a pleasant day. Dismissed.”

*  
Gerard made a beeline towards the refreshments table set outside the Hall of Justitia, reaching for a cup of coffee. As he sipped the dark beverage, he glanced uninterestedly at the cupcakes and sandwiches that had been set out for the members of the Seniorum Concilium, then turned his attention to the rest of the room. The rest of the members of the Seniorum Concilium began to head towards the table, some pilling food onto their plates, some eating or drinking, and others merely standing around and engaging each other in conversation. Gerard headed towards Matt Cohen, who was lounging on a sofa by himself and sipping on a cup of tea.

"Matt! How are you?" Gerard greeted cheerfully.

Matt looked vaguely alarmed as he looked up at Gerard. Before Gerard could even _try_ to sit down next to him, Matt had jumped out of his seat, almost spilling his tea on himself. He shot a furtive and surreptitious glance at Mark Pellegrino, who (Gerard noted with some alarm) was talking to Samantha Ferris in low, dark tones at the corner of the room.

"I'm going to get some sandwiches, I heard they're great! Do you want some, Gerard? I'll go get some for you!"

Gerard barely managed to say a confused "No" before Matt Cohen hurriedly headed towards the refreshments table, a look of relief vey much evident on his face as he walked away from Gerard. Matt kept casting frightened looks at Mark Pellegrino, who looked oblivious to Matt's attentions.

There were many rumours about Mark Pellegrino, because of his many connections. What many suspected was that Mark Pellegrino was also very much responsible for the Osore activities that were occuring with increasing frequency. None had been able to prove it though.

Right.

Gerard could take a hint.

He sat down on the large sofa and sighed heavily. Taking a long sip of his coffee, Gerard scrubbed his face with his hands tiredly.

"Some of us just have a lot to risk, Professor."

Gerard looked up to see Traci Dinwiddie smiling prettily at him. 

"I know." He replied quietly. "But so do I." He fell silent as Traci sat down next to him, sipping delicately on her own cup of tea.

"We all do. The difference is, Professor," Traci continued softly, "that some of us just aren't willing to take that risk."

"How about you, Traci? Are you willing to take that risk?" Gerard asked boldly.

Traci merely smiled cryptically, saying nothing. She reached over to pat Gerard's hand gently before she left, her dress a swirl of red and green behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Iustus means "just" and "righteous" in Latin.
> 
> 2) Seniorum Concilium means Council of the Elders in Latin. (At least i hope so! I googled for a translation, so if it's not accurate, please forgive me.)
> 
> 3) The Seniorum Concilium consists of 21 members. So far, I have introduced
> 
> 1\. Iustus Fletcher (the Dux)  
> 2\. Gerard Way - AGAINST  
> 3\. Mark Pellegrino - FOR  
> 4\. Riordan Black - AGAINST  
> 5\. Jim Beaver - AGAINST  
> 6\. Kate Cassidy - FOR  
> 7\. Jensen Ackles - AGAINST  
> 8\. Samantha Ferris - AGAINST  
> 9\. Jim Beaver - AGAINST  
> 10\. Matt Cohen - ?  
> 11\. Traci Dinwiddie - ?
> 
> To make things less confusing, for future chapters on SC matters, I will present a summary table at the end of the chapter showing members against and for the reesstablishment of the Anima Records based on the opinions they have given during the meetings. 
> 
> The situation doesn't look too bad for Gerard now, doesn't it? BUT take note that  
> 1) The stands of the members may change over time.  
> 2) Most of the members have chosen not to voice out any opinions yet.  
> 3) It's also possible that they are merely paying lip service... such is human nature.
> 
> Let the political games begin.


	5. Frank's Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank has a brilliant idea that throws him into the path of Professor Gerard Way.

__

_Sunday, May 22 nd, 2112_

There were so many things about Frank’s new project that he needed to know about, and Frank decided to begin his day by doing research on his Workstation.

He opened up a browser window as he began to search for information on his project. He combed medical databases for journal papers on the Jupiter Virus and the SN281 mouse model. He read the papers, absorbing the information and taking down notes at the same time on his Workstation. 

It was hours before Frank got up from his bed, groaning. His Workstation flitted out of his way as he rubbed the crick in his neck. The Workstation hummed quietly, suspended in mid-air as it waited for Frank to return to it again. Frank felt as though his head was about to burst with all the information he had read.

Mattie chirped enquiringly at Frank as he hopped towards Frank and perched at the edge of his bed. Frank stood up from his bed and stretched.

“Yea, I’m done for now.” Frank yawned tiredly. “I’ll go get myself some lunch. You hungry, Mattie?” He opened the window of his bedroom.

“Go on, stretch your wings and get something to eat.” Mattie sang happily as he flew out the window in search of food.

Frank made himself a tossed salad for lunch and nibbled distractedly at it as he continued to search online for more journal papers about the Jupiter virus.  

He found one that looked particularly promising, and began to read it.

_"The Jupiter Virus is responsible for causing the Kindercrock Disease. The Kindercrock Disease usually manifests as a mild fever or exanthema. More severe symptoms may also manifest, involving the central nervous system of the affected individual. The neurotropic virus attacks the central nervous system of younger children, mostly from ages three to five years of age, leading to conditions such as encephalitis and massive hemorrhaging occurring in the brain._

_The virus is known to be from the same family as the Cropiex Virus that has devastated the world a hundred years ago....”_

Something clicked in his head. His heart raced and he began to tremble in excitement.

Frank had a brilliant idea.

Could it work? It _should._

Fueled by the adrenaline that rushed through him at that epiphany, he abandoned his search for the Jupiter Virus and excitedly turned his attention on the Cropiex Virus instead.

*

_Monday, May 23 th, 2112_

Frank was in Dr. Potter’s office, eagerly telling her about his brilliant idea. She listened attentively to his words, asking him for supportive evidence that he had based his ideas on, and Frank showed her a couple of journal papers where he had derived his hypothesis from using his Fitch. 

“It does sound promising!” Dr. Potter looked enthusiastic. Then she tapped her chin thoughtfully. “However, I’m not sure if you know this, but presently in the Immunology Department, only Professor Gerard Way’s laboratory is working on the Cropiex Virus.”

Oh _crap_. And to think he had wanted to avoid Professor Way as much as possible! The possibility of getting ground-breaking results that could be potentially very useful for researchers in the field made Frank want so desperately to do the project. He couldn’t see any way to avoid Professor Way now... it was just too exciting to ignore.

“I thought his lab worked on Animas?” Frank bit his lip worriedly.

“Well, his lab works on the Cropiex virus too. They’re quite related, actually.”

“Oh,” Frank said. “Do you think it’s possible for us to ask him for a vial of the virus?”

“Ah, that’s not possible. Only Professor Way’s laboratory has the safety license to handle the Cropiex Virus in the department. It’s still being regarded as quite a dangerous virus.” Dr. Potter replied. “We can however, ask whether he would be willing to collaborate on this project with us. I can ask him to be the co-supervisor of your project if he is agreeable.”

Frank brightened at that prospect.

“Really? Do you think he’ll be willing to, Genevieve? Is the project attractive enough?”

“Well,” Genevieve began gently, “I don’t mean to be a wet blanket, Frank… but a collaboration between our labs will still require you to go to his laboratory to carry out the experiments required. As far as I know, the license requires Professor Way to be the one to train you personally to handle the Cropiex Virus. And you should know that Professor Way is a very busy and important man, and he may not be able to fork out the time to train you. I just want you to be prepared for disappointment. Also, he tends to accept only graduate students.”

Frank knew that, but couldn't stop himself from feeling a wave of crushing disappointment.

“Well, the project is very exciting, so there’s still a chance. Don’t look so down!” Dr. Potter said with a look of pity after noticing the despondent look on his face.

“In fact…” Genevieve touched her Workstation absent-mindedly as she swiped a finger across the glass. “Professor Way’s in his office right now. Shall we drop in to ask?” She looked up from her Workstation and smiled motherly at Frank.

*

Five minutes later, a bemused Frank found himself knocking on the door of Professor Way’s office.

“Come in,” Frank heard a muffled voice from behind the door.

Genevieve opened the office door, and Frank took a moment to look around Professor Way’s office.

The office was decorated in an elegant and simple manner. The floor was carpeted in a comfortable gray and moving pictures were hung up on one of the whitewashed walls. Frank examined a couple of them. One showed Professor Way grinning at the camera as his laboratory members crowded around him and carried him up on their shoulders. They were cheering and waving at the camera. Another showed Professor Way with his laboratory members in the middle of a toast, and Frank watched as they drank heartily and then proceeded to force another drink down Professor Way’s throat. They cheered as he emptied the cup, turned it upside down and flashed a thumbs-up sign at the camera. Other photos showed Professor Way with his laboratory members at various functions and dinners. 

The rest of the walls, apart from the wall behind Professor Way that had a large window with an elegant black leather window seat and soft red curtains, were covered with shelves and shelves of books. Professor Way had a polished mahogany table in the middle of the room that was covered in papers and research material. Picture frames lined the top of his table, but Frank couldn’t see any of the photographs in them because they were facing Professor Way.

Professor Way was currently seated behind his table, his right hand over his Workstation and his left hand twirling his glasses casually as he looked up at the two visitors in his office. He smiled welcomingly at them.

“Hello Gerard!” Genevieve greeted him cheerfully as Frank stood shyly beside her. “Are you available for a short discussion now?” Frank couldn’t stop himself from staring at Professor Way’s face, mesmerized by how handsome he looked without glasses.

Professor Way could pull off looking good with or without glasses, Frank thought enviously.

“Hi Genevieve,” Gerard nodded, “Hi Frank, hello Mattie!” Mattie, who had been perched silently on Frank’s shoulder the whole time, chirruped loudly at Gerard. “Yes, I’m available now.”

“Ah, I see you’ve met my FYP student!” Genevieve grinned as she wrapped a motherly hand around Frank’s shoulders.

Professor Way’s lips twitched slightly in humor. “Yes, he has made quite an impression on me.”

“Oh??” Genevieve raised an eyebrow. She turned around to look at Frank questioningly. “What did you do, Frank, to gain Professor Way’s attention?” She asked teasingly.

“Uh…” Frank flushed a crimson red. "I... uhm..."

The two professors exchanged looks of amusement. Professor Way burst out laughing.

“Stop teasing him, Genevieve. Was there something you wanted to discuss?”

“Ah yes. I wanted to propose a collaboration between our laboratories.”

Professor Way raised a dark eyebrow.

“On the Jupiter Virus, Genevieve? I’m afraid I’m not an expert in that field like you are…”

“No, Gerard. The Cropiex Virus. I’ll let Frank fill you in on his proposal, shall I?” Genevieve’s emerald eyes twinkled in amusement.

“Oh, it’s Frank idea? That’s interesting.” Professor Way nodded approvingly. “Do take a seat!”

Genevieve slid down into a chair in front of Professor Way’s table, and Frank took a seat next to her. 

Frank was petrified.

Having a conversation with this man was distressing enough, but the idea of having a scientific discussion with him was freaking terrifying! The Cropiex Virus was Professor Way’s area of interest and Frank cursed himself internally. He was suddenly horribly aware that the few hours he had spent yesterday researching the Cropiex Virus was simply not enough! There were loads and loads of papers on it, spanning for the past hundred years. He really should have read up more about it before bringing it up to Genevieve. What if Professor Way thought that his idea was a terrible one? What if he shot down Frank’s idea from the beginning because of something simple that Frank had missed looking at during his research? The thought of humiliating himself, and even worse, having his failures being reflected on Genevieve as a bad supervisor… Frank began to perspire profusely in his seat.

As though realizing that Frank was about to start hyperventilating from the stress, Genevieve leaned in to whisper into his ear, “No pressure. Just go through everything with him just like you did with me.”

No pressure.

_Right._

Frank winced painfully.

Professor Way leaned forward attentively as he placed his glasses back on his face.

“Go on,” he encouraged, a bright smile on his handsome face.

Frank sucked in a breath as he began, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. He tapped his Fitch and a little screen popped up between them.

 “While looking at the Cropiex Virus yesterday, I saw that scientists were unable to find a proper animal model to study the virus,” Frank began nervously. “Scientists have so far only managed to infect primates. However, there are a lot of ethical issues surrounding the use of primates. On top of that, it’s really costly and their reproductive cycles are longer as compared to mice. So mice would really be considered a better model to study the Cropiex Virus. Then I realized that there are no mouse models established so far for the Cropiex Virus – scientists have tried immunocompetent, humanized and transgenic mice but so none of these mice can be infected by the Cropiex Virus.”

Genevieve smiled reassuringly at Frank, and the look of interest on Professor Way’s face gave Frank a little more confidence.

“I was looking at this paper yesterday,” Frank continued a little more staunchly as he tapped his Fitch. The screen flashed, “And I realized that the Jupiter Virus and the Cropiex Virus actually comes from the same family. As the Jupiter Virus is able to infect SN281 mice, I realized that there was a distinct possibility that SN281 mice could be infected by the Cropiex Virus too. I did some literature digging and found out that the SN281 mouse has been used as an infection model for other viruses from the same family too, namely the Racic, Popilia and Cromex viruses.” Professor Way peered at the images that were projected on the screen, his hand reaching out to touch the screen and scroll through the different papers. He nodded in affirmation as he tapped the side of his black-rimmed glasses in thought.

“What makes this relationship between these viruses important is that I realized that they were neurological viruses – they all caused diseases of the central nervous system. And the reason why SN281 mice are susceptible to these viruses is because they are microglia deficient, and microglia are actually really important for the first wave of immune defense of the CNS. Thus I think it is highly likely that since the SN281 mice are susceptible to these viruses, they would be susceptible to the Cropiex virus too. And we could use the SN281 mice as an infection model to study the Cropiex virus.”

“Ah, microglia deficient mice, you say. That’s interesting! Genevieve, you are working on this mouse, correct?” Professor Way’s hazel eyes lit up in exhilaration.

“Yes, Gerard, we are indeed using these mice. I knew you would find it exciting!”

“Indeed, the idea does sound promising. How would you propose we do this project, Frank?” Professor Way asked intently.

Frank began to speak eagerly, encouraged by Professor Way’s enthusiasm. He ticked the ideas he had off his fingers.

“Well, I thought we could first establish an infection profile, by infecting the mice at different ages, and seeing whether they would manifest any clinical symptoms. We could also monitor their growth over a period of time, to see whether infection of these mice could led to weight loss. For example, we know that mice actually lose a lot of weight when they are infected by the Influenza virus. Perhaps infection with Cropiex could cause the same effect?”

“Then I thought we could examine the histology of the mice after infecting them with the virus, by examining organs like the brain, the limbs etcetera, to see whether we could see any cytopathic effect caused by the virus. We could also examine the immune response that occurs upon infection in these mice by isolating splenocytes and looking at the B cell and T cell response.”

“Excellent,” Professor Way said heartedly. “I see Frank has got a master plan. We could expand on that to make it better. Am I correct to say that Frank has no prior experience in the laboratory?"

Frank nodded.

"Then it's very impressive that you managed to come up with an experiemental plan yourself!" Professor Way shot Frank a disarming grin. "Genevieve, you have a very promising student!”

Genevieve beamed widely at Professor Way, and replied, “Ah Gerard, I know I do! But the problem is, would you help me nurture his talent?”

Frank’s heart thundered loudly in his ears as he waited with bated breath.

Professor Way peered at Frank through his glasses contemplatively, tapping the sides of his glasses again. His lips twitched into a beautiful smile.

“I’ll love to.”

And with that said, after a few details were thrashed out between the three of them, Professor Gerard Way became Frank’s co-supervisor for his exciting new project.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Microglia are part of the immune response of the central nervous system (CNS). They are macrophages (Greek: big eaters) that engulf and digest pathogens/cellular debris.
> 
> 2) The SN281 mouse model is of my own invention. To my knowledge, there is no mouse model that is microglia deficient, although there are some that have impaired microglia responses.
> 
> 3) Again, the Racic, Popilia and Cromex viruses do not exist and are part of my own invention.


	6. Hitting Too Close to Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard is upset with Frank's decision.

__

 

_Monday, May 23 th, 2112_

“Say that again?” Richard almost choked on his coffee. Richard had just logged onto Sunset, and Frank was having his usual daily conversation with Richard.

“Uh... Professor Gerard Way just became the co-supervisor for my FYP project.” Frank said warily.

For a full whole minute, Richard was rendered completely speechless.

If the situation wasn’t so serious, Frank would have pumped his fist in success. This was the first time he had ever seen Richard at a total loss for words.

_Five, four, three, two, one…_

“ **ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?** ” Richard exploded. “Are you stupid or **ARE YOU STUPID?** ”

Frank winced.

“You’re not giving me much choice, are you. Either way, I’m stupid.” Frank joked lamely, trying to lighten up the mood of the situation.

Richard shot him an utterly incredulous and disgusted look.

“Let me get this straight.” Richard began, his brown eyes blazing with fury. “Professor Gerard Way, who is a member of the **Seniorum Concilium** by the way, knows that you’re a Multiple. He knows about Mattie, and he knows about your ring. And now you’re going to **WORK FOR THIS GUY**?”

“Well… that’s not exactly how I’ll put things, but yea… that sounds about right,” Frank said weakly.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Frank? You’ve been so careful these few years. It seems that you’ve lost your fucking mind after you've talked to this guy! You’re drawn to him like a motherfucking magnet! Are you really that obsessed with him?”

“Calm down, Richard, don’t forget that you’re still in the office.” Frank pleaded.

“I don’t give a shit, everyone else can go fuck themselves, I’m more concerned with the fact that my best friend is suicidal!” Richard snarled, leaning forward in his seat heatedly. “First you accidentally reveal what you are, and now you’re going to work for him? What was the point of going to all that trouble in keeping your identity a secret for all those years when you spill your guts out the moment you see a pretty face? And of all people, you chose to bare it all to a member of the Seniorum Concilium!”

“Oh fine, let the entire office know that your best friend is a Multiple! Fuck you, you selfish asshole!” Frank finally snapped, annoyed.

The angry look dissolved from Richard’s face, and he suddenly looked very guilty instead.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think… I just…” he sighed. “The rest of my colleagues are out for lunch, and I’m alone in my private office anyway,” Richard said, rubbing his forehead tiredly. “No one will be able to hear us.”

Frank shook his head.

“Fine, forget about that,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender, “I admit Professor Way is really gorgeous and all, but really Richard, I can’t believe you think I’m that shallow!” Frank said exasperatedly.

Richard opened his mouth to protest but Frank waved an impatient hand at him, and Richard fell silent once more.

“Come on, Richard, you’re blowing this way out of proportion! Professor Way was the one who pushed for the abolishment of the Anima Records. If anything, he understands my situation!”

“That’s what you think! He’s a complete stranger, for fuck’s sake. How can you have absolute trust in this guy? You barely even know him! You’re flirting with danger, Frank.”

“Richard, this whole thing isn’t even about him!” Frank sighed in frustration. “I didn’t approach him on purpose, because I was attracted to him or anything! I didn’t even know that working on the Cropiex Virus meant that I had to work with him. I only knew after Genevieve told me that if I really wanted to work on the project, I had to work with him because he was the only one in the entire school working on the virus! And by then, Genevieve was already so excited for me, and things just… kinda developed from there.”

“You could have just said no!” Richard responded fiercely.

 “I wanted to work with him because of my idea, my project. Can you imagine how wonderful it is to have two outstanding scientists telling me that my idea is brilliant and my project is feasible? If it works, it could mean a potential breakthrough in the field, and I want to be a part of that experience. Sure, I may be being a little too optimistic now, and the project may not work out in the end, but I really, really want to try it, Richard. Don’t you understand?” Frank pleaded. “I have a chance to finally be able to do something useful for once, and I want to put in my best for something that I’ve come up with all on my own!”

“I understand your point… but… Frank, you’re going to get yourself killed. Sure, the Anima Records are expunged **NOW** … but you’ll never know. They could bring back the Records… and what are you going to do then, Frank? What will Professor Way do? He’s a member of the Seniorum Concilium… do you think he’s going to keep his promise to you then? Do you think he’ll break the law for you?”

“I can’t…” Frank threw his arms up in the air in desperation, “I just can’t miss this opportunity! I’ll never forgive myself if I do.”

Richard was silent for a long time. He was expressionless and Frank watched him carefully.

“You’re determined, aren’t you?” Richard finally said a few minutes later. “You really want to do this project with him?” he asked softly.

“Yes, I really do.”

“You’re not going to listen to anything I say, at this point in time,” Richard replied bitterly. “So why am I wasting my time trying to stop you then?” He ran a hand through his brown hair, his hazel eyes flat and dull with resignation and pain.

Frank recognized the tinge of hurt in Richard’s eyes.

“Richard… please… please. Can’t I have your support on this?” Frank pleaded, his voice cracking slightly. It took a lot to disturb Richard’s cheerful persona – and it was devastating that Frank had managed to hurt his best friend enough to make him look so upset.

Richard let out a little strangled snort of subdued laughter.

“I don’t think I can bear it. I don’t want to be the one to tell you “I told you so” in the end, Frank.” Richard closed his eyes and sighed heavily. “I’ve lost enough friends and family in the War. My brothers… I’ve watched them suffer for so long, Frank. I watched them _die_. I watched them walk to their own deaths.”

Richard opened his eyes, and Frank was hit with a heart-shattering wave of despair as Richard’s hazel eyes blinked back tears. “I can’t… I just can’t watch you do something like that. And smile while doing it. I… I can’t.”

“Just… take care of yourself… Alright?” Richard choked out. As he leaned forward to cut the connection, Frank caught sight of a single tear rolling down Richard’s cheek. The image above Frank’s Workstation went black and faded away as the line was disconnected. His Workstation fell silent.

_Dammit._

He hadn’t meant to hurt Richard.

Frank wanted to scream. Instead, he slumped backwards onto his bed, covering his eyes with the back of his hand as his own eyes filled with angry and frustrated tears. Mattie chirped mournfully beside Frank as he wept. Mattie silently pressed his tiny body against Frank’s, hoping that his warmth would give Frank some comfort.

 

  __

Richard leaned heavily back in his seat. He pressed his fingers tightly against his closed eyelids, letting out a soft moan of despair. He wished that he could stop the fucking tears, but he couldn’t. 

He was sick of crying. He hated being weak.

If Frank wasn’t going to listen to him, there was nothing else he could do. But he wouldn’t watch Frank do it.

He couldn’t do it.

He just couldn’t.

Watching his brothers send themselves to their own deaths was _enough_.

*

_Saturday, 28 th November, 2105 (Richard is 17)_

Richard woke up when he heard a thump in the kitchen. He glanced out of the window, noting that it was still dark out.

He tensed, immediately alert as he tossed the covers aside, sitting up from his bed.

“Security check.” He said aloud.

“Secure.” Came the pleasant but slightly robotic female response.

“Good,” he mumbled under his breath. Perhaps he had imagined it after all.

There was another distinct thump from the kitchen and the faint screeching of a chair across the floor.

“Account.” He began testily. There was definitely someone else in the house apart from him. His father was away on a business trip with his mother and Michael, and they were not due home yet… at least, not this soon.

“Three in total.” The Security system replied.

“What?” Richard asked, confused. “Who?”

“Richard Speight Jr., Evan Speight and William Speight.”

His brothers! They were home! Richard’s heart soared in relief. He hadn’t seen them for years ever since they had joined the Rebellion in the War.

“Where’s Evan and William?”

“They are in the kitchen.”

Richard jumped out of his bed and hurried towards the kitchen.

He was hit by an overwhelming smell of blood even before he entered the kitchen. Oh god, he’ll never forget just _how much blood_ there was.

“EVAN!” Richard cried out, rushing towards his brothers. Evan was lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious and looking pale from the blood loss. William was kneeling beside Evan, pressing some towels against the bleeding wound in his stomach. It seemed as though Evan was losing too much blood... his shirt was already soaked with blood.

"Shit." Richard kneeled down and reached out to touch Evan's chest. The feeling of his brother's heart beating a little faintly but steadily under his hand brought him a moment of instantaneous relief. He pressed a hand against Evan’s forehead, wiping away a stray hair from his sweaty face. “What happened?”

William grimaced. “We were betrayed. Ambushed. Evan tried to protect me and he was stabbed… Dammit, the bleeding isn’t stopping!” The blood had seeped through the towels.

Richard stumbled to his feet, “I’ll get more towels!”

“No need, baby bro.” The voice was barely a whisper.

Richard spun around, his eyes widening. “Evan!” He kneeled down beside Evan again. Evan’s cerulean eyes were gentle, and he reached up weakly to ruffle Richard’s hair lovingly.

“Hello, baby bro, long time no see. Looking good.”

“Why?? Why? You stupid sonofabitch!”

“We have the same mother, you dumbass,” Evan replied weakly, laughing a little. “I missed you, baby bro. Got a girlfriend yet?”

“Idiot,” Richard cursed his brother, laughing despite himself.

“True, you’re a Speight, I’m sure you've had half a dozen girlfriends already.” Evan grinned at Richard. His handsome face looked strained as he reached for Richard’s hands. He was suddenly solemn as he turned and looked at William as well. “The two of you take care of Mum and Dad when I’m not around, you hear?”

“Don’t say that,” Richard choked as his vision blurred with tears, “You’re going to be fine.”

William’s mouth tightened into a thin line as he stared evenly at Evan.

“I can’t do this without you, Evan,” William said, his hazel eyes teeming with worry. “We started this together… and we will end this together. Stay with me, little bro.”

“I never regretted fighting for us, William,” Evan said softly. His eyes brimmed with tears as he stared up at his elder brother. “Don’t stop fighting. We’ll be able to make a difference for Multiples.”

“Why didn’t the two of you listen to me?” Richard sobbed. “Why didn’t you just stay out of the stupid War? What am I going to do without you?”

 “Some things are worth fighting for, Richard.” Evan replied, pressing his hand firmly against Richard’s cheek and rubbing his tears away. “You’ll be fine. My baby bro is tough.”

“I hate you, you fucking asshole.” Richard said as he pressed his own hand against Evan’s tightly. He didn’t want to let go of Evan. He was afraid that the moment he did, Evan would be lost forever. He knew it was irrational, but he couldn’t help himself from leaning forward to pull Evan firmly into his embrace.

Evan chuckled.

“I love you too, baby bro.”

“You stupid fucker.” Richard shot back. He pressed his nose into the side of Evan’s neck, breathing in the familiar scent of his brother’s cologne.

 _"No, no, no._ _Not now._ _Please don't let me lose Evan when he's only just come home."_ Richard prayed desperately. He never believed in a higher power, but right now, he would have given his soul to the devil for his brother. _  
_

“I’m scared, Richard,” Evan admitted quietly.

Richard let out a soft moan of agony. Evan must be truly frightened for him to admit it to him. “I’m here. We’re here.” 

William reached over, running a hand over Evan’s chiseled face tenderly. He cupped the side of Evan’s cheek, and leaned down to kiss the top of Evan’s forehead.

“Yes, we're here.” William said gently as he held Evan’s hand in his own.

Richard gripped his brother tightly in his arms as he felt his brother growing weaker and weaker with the blood loss, watched as his once brilliant blue orbs lost their spark and grew duller with every passing moment.

He felt it the moment Evan finally died in his arms.

Richard would _never_ forget how it felt like to feel Evan’s life expire in his arms.

The moment of realisation was so crushing and devastating that Richard couldn’t breathe every time he remembered it. Seven years later and he could still remember how it felt like to have Evan’s blood still warm and soaking through his clothing. He could still remember the moment when Evan’s body finally loosened and relaxed against Richard’s chest.

Richard howled in agony, giving in to the devastation that ricocheted from his heart to the rest of his body, threatening to devour him in its entirety.

“I swear…Evan…” William said, trembling as his hazel eyes finally flooded with tears. He stood up, rubbing the tears away from his face with the back of his hand, and sucked in a deep breath. He turned and started to walk out of the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” Richard asked, alarmed. He set Evan’s body gently onto the floor.

“I’m going to hunt down the fucking traitor.” William said flatly. “He will pay for what he did to Evan.”

“Please, William. Please.” Richard stood up and grabbed his brother tightly by the wrist. “Don’t go. I can’t… I just can’t watch you leave like that! Evan is… Evan is gone now; please don’t make me lose another brother!” Richard begged desperately.

“Don’t worry, baby bro. I’ll be home soon.” William reached over, ruffling Richard’s hair. His hand closed over Richard’s fingers, and he gently broke Richard’s grip on his hand. “I promise.”

Richard let out a snort of bitter laughter as he sank to his knees, defeated. If he couldn’t stop his two brothers from joining the Rebellion years ago, he would never be able to stop William from trying to take revenge now.

His brothers never listened to him.

He wished they did.

Dammit, he wished they did.

He crawled over to Evan’s body, placed his head over Evan’s immobile chest and sobbed bitterly as his eldest brother walked determinedly out of the kitchen without looking back.

*

William never kept his promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Richard's story was never meant to be written into the main story, but I felt it was necessary to show why Richard was so upset by Frank's decision. It reminded him too much of the past. 
> 
> 2) William Speight is the oldest son of the Speight family. He is 10 years older than Richard. The second in line is Evan, who is 8 years older than Richard. William and Evan were 27 and 25 years old respectively, when they died. Both were Multiples who were involved in the Rebellion of the Anima War. Michael, like Richard, is a Power with a single Anima. Michael is 6 years older than Richard who is the youngest of all the four brothers.


End file.
